Brothers' Conflict Bro vs Bros
by shadowknightwriter
Summary: Ema, a graduate of high school spends the interim of summer with her thirteen, all too friendly step brothers. Enter Ema's protective older (non-biological) brother, Akio. Expect the romance/drama BroCon comes with, plus one mysterious guy who wants to prevent it all... Will he stay true to his promises? Or give into the human emotions he thought to have buried along with his past?
1. Preview and Introduction

**Here we go! First fanfic! Hope you like it (and please bear with me!) I'm aiming to add a chapter every week, so today I'll do a summary, brief intro, and the first chapter!** **ヽ** **(^** **。** **^)** **ノ** **Alright wooo time to start**

Ema Hinata, a recent graduate of high school spends the interim of summer with her thirteen, all too friendly step brothers. Enter Ema's protective older brother, Akio, who meets his new brothers for the first time. He'd been studying abroad in America and had exams when his father and Miwa were wed, so this will be his first encounter with this… odd bunch. The usual, and expected romance and jealousy BroCon comes with, plus one guy who wants to prevent it all.

A little character description of Akio

Age: 23

Height: 5'10

Weight: 140

Eye color: Hazel/gray

Hair color and style: black and something similar in style to Prompto from FFXV

Clothing style: pretty casual; ideally black jeans, solid colored hoodie, skateboarding shoes

So he's not Ema's biological brother, but he is the biological son of Rintarou and his first wife.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1 as promised! (Yeah, I don't own Brother's Conflict or any of the characters, only Akio!)**

Akio loves summer. After college in northwest America, he was grateful for the clear, and refreshing warmth a summer in Japan would offer him. He couldn't wait to see his little sister! It must have been at least two years since he'd last been back in Japan, and as much as he hated to admit it, he'd missed his father's wedding for exams. He regretted choosing school cover family, but that's the sacrifice he had to make if he wanted to graduate as valedictorian.

"Pfff. That's over with." He muttered under his breath, forcing academics out of his mind. _I should enjoy my break off catching up with my little sister._

"This must be the place." The Sunshine Residence towered over him and he was already overwhelmed. _She lives here?!_ He dropped his duffle bag of clothes and note from Rintarou with the address of the residence on the ground. He peered up at the enormous building, shielding his eyes from the glare of the sun.

 _Well, here goes_. He reached to knock on the door, but before he could even make contact, the door flew open.

"Aaa ha ha! Oniichan!" A small pink haired boy leapt onto Akio giggling in excitement. "Oneechan said her older brother would come today!" Akio had to admit, he always wished he could have a younger brother. Now he did. "I'm Wataru, and I'm the youngest of the brothers!" The little boy exclaimed. _He's so energetic..._ "You're so strong!" Wataru said as he dangled and swug from Akio's arm. Just then a man wearing a white doctor's coat, swooped in scooping the little boy off Akio.

"Wataru, now, that isn't how we should treat our guests." He said, holding a protesting Wataru in his arms. "I'm the oldest of the brothers, Masaomi." They had just finished exchanging handshakes when a familiar face peered around the corner.

"Ema!" Akio invited himself in embracing his younger sister. "Gosh, it's been so long! You've grown up so much since I last saw you!" He said patting her brown hair.

"Ah! Akio! You're early!" She said with warm smile. I'm so glad you were able to come stay for the Summer! I've missed you so much" Ema said, returning his hug.

"Who are you?" Akio stopped gushing for a split second to notice four more boys sitting on the living room couch and one preparing a meal in the kitchen. They all eyed him suspiciously.

The white haired boy with violet eyes grabbed Ema's arm and yanked her into his own arms. "She's already mine, sorry," he said, in a teasing manner, wrapping his arms across her thin shoulders. More death glares from around the room, this time focused on him. _What the hell_ thought Akio.

"Oh, um, Tsubaki, Akio isn't my boyfriend, he's my older brother… Not my biological brother, but Father's biological son," Ema murmured.

Tsubaki looked surprised, "A brother?! I had no idea!" His surprise deepened as what appeared to be his black haired counterpart whacked him across the head with what looked like a script.

"Aghhh, Azusa, what the hell?! I didn't know, he was- I thought he was trying to be her boyfriend!"

"Stupid, as usual," a younger beige haired boy commented from beside the black haired boy "he's only the guy Ema's spent all _week_ talking about. 'Akio this, Akio that, My big brother Akio-'" he said mockingly. "Shows you weren't listening." The red haired one that sat next to him jabbed him with an elbow muttering under his breath, "Says the idiotic popstar who can't keep his stupid mouth shut for five whole minutes."

Tsubaki was dumbfounded with a quiet 'oh' resting on his face.

It was too late, Akio had already been tipped off as to what was going on in this mansion, and he didn't like it. Not one bit.

"Hey Em, where's Juli? I wanna see my buddy." Akio said

"Oh, he's in my room, I'll go get him!" Ema said rushing to escape the awkward.

As soon as she was out of the room, and a ways down the hall, he grabbed Tsubaki by the shirt. "What have you been doing to Ema? Whatever it is, you're not gonna get away with treating her like that." He looked around the room, "None of you are. I have eyes, I'm not blind. Leave her alone."

 **Oooh what a note to leave on! Like it? Dislike it? What can I improve? Please tell me, and leave comments!**


	3. Chapter 2

**Time for another chapter! Sorry my first chapter was much shorter than I initially realized,** **so I'll do my best to make this one longer!**

Chapter 2

It had been a few weeks since Akio had arrived at the Sunshine Residence, but it felt like years. Every moment he had to keep an eye on all of his step brothers. He'd met all of them except Hikaru who was apparently in Italy, and Louis who was in France, and personally, Akio preferred that they stay abroad. He had his hands full as it was. _Juli was right, Ema really has been living with a bunch of wolves._

Ema's perspective:

 _Akio's seems to be on edge lately, maybe I can wake up early to make him breakfast tomorrow. He likes blueberry pancakes. And then maybe we can go for a walk around town afterwards. It'll be early enough- everyone should still be asleep. He likes to be up early anyway to go skateboarding, so this way he can avoid confrontation with everyone else! Yes, I'll do that!_ She thought to herself. She sent a quick text message to Akio-

"Let's wake up early tomorrow so we can eat breakfast and have a morning walk together."

Akio's perspective:

His phone buzzed next to him and paused the music that was playing through his earbuds. He put down his pencil mid scratch. Slightly irritated at whoever was texting him at this hour, and disrupting his Summer graduate college study, he snatched up his phone. _Oh, it's Ema… Breakfast?... Well if I'm with her, all those wolves will stay away from her._

"Sure."

He picked his pencil back up. The integral calculus problem stared at him. He pulled on his hair, _what am I doing majoring in math?_

The following morning, Ema woke up early to make Akio breakfast as she had planned. She wore pleasant clothes since she had planned to go out as soon as they finished eating. She had picked out a pastel yellow sundress, white sandals and had tied up her hair in her usual side ponytail.

"Ah! I almost burnt them!" she exclaimed flipping the pancake over in the pan, just before it burned. She heard footsteps on the stairs. "Oh, Ak-" before she could finish, Kaname appeared in the stairwell. "O-oh, K-Kaname, what are you doing up so early? You don't have to be at the temple until this afternoon."

"Oh, isn't this a nice surprise," Kaname said slyly, ignoring the comment she had made regarding work."Not everyday, am I able to see my little sister dressed up so pretty." He continued as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"No, w-wait, Kaname, Akio will be down any minute now!" Ema stuttered in a hushed voice. There was enough tension between Akio and all of the brothers already, and the last thing Ema wanted to do was make the situation worse.

"I'm not afraid of him," Kaname said with a small frown, reaching over Ema to eat a piece of the freshly made pancake. "Come on," he said with a playful grin pulling her by the wrist to the door, "let's enjoy our time together before you know who wakes up." Kaname couldn't say he feared the cute girl's older brother, but he definitely knew he was walking on thin ice... But that may have just made her more enticing.

Kaname and Ema spent the morning walking around town. While Ema felt guilty for leaving without telling Akio where she'd be and who she'd be with, Kaname clearly seemed to be enjoying himself, wearing a smug grin on his face. He had insisted they hold hands, "just so they wouldn't lose each other," as he put it, and although Ema knew Akio wouldn't approve, she gave in, blushing as their hands touched. Although it was Summer, the early morning air still had a chill to it, and she was grateful for the warm hand that enveloped hers. Kaname was wearing casual clothes rather than his regular monk robes and as they walked, Ema could hear people commenting, and guessing what magazine he was a model from. She really did think he looked handsome, but she couldn't bring herself to say it outloud.

Only wearing her sundress, Ema was cold, and although she tried to hide it, her teeth kept chattering.

Kaname stopped, and swung his jacket over her before she could protest. "There. Better?" She nodded, taken aback by Kaname's gentle tone. Soon they stopped outside a little cafe where Kaname instructed Ema to wait on the bench outside while he ordered coffee for them both. She inhaled the comforting scent on his jacket as she waited patiently, humming a tune from Natsume's game.

Fuuto was out early on his way to pick up new clothes at a shop down the way for his photoshoot later that day when he spotted Ema in a simply beautiful dress sitting on a bench. A tall blonde man, which he deduced, could have only been Kaname, left her and walked into the cafe.

Could his eyes be deceiving him? Or could he really be just that lucky? He approached, and as he neared, he realized it was indeed the brunette beauty. Surprising her, he hastily grasped her wrist and pulled her off the bench and into the alley way, out of sight.

"Fuuto!" she gasped as he grabbed her.

"Shhh! Do you want Kaname to hear?" He asked holding a finger to her lips. He didn't wait for an answer. "What are you doing out with him anyway, and dressed like that? Are you trying to get his attention? Or maybe you wanted me to notice?"

"No, that's not it." Ema said avoiding eye contact with the boy. She wanted to explain her chaotic morning, but Fuuto continued.

"I know you've rejected all my brothers, and will likely do the same to me once again, but I don't care. I can't help it. You're already mine." He leaned forward forcing her against the side of the building. His forehead touched hers, their lips millimeters from touching.

Akio's point of view

 _Gosh. I bet she forgot we were going to meet up this morning. She's always forgetting things. I wonder where she is._ He gave up waiting at her silent bedroom door after knocking twice, and headed back to his own. Grabbing his skateboard from the closet in his room, and his flannel shirt off the chair, he headed out. _Nice day for a skate at least._ It was a pretty average Summer morning, a bit chilly, but in the warmth of the sun, it was perfect.

He had discovered a small pastry cafe not too far from the house, and decided to pick up some blueberry muffins. _Ema likes pastries with blueberries so I'll get her one too. I suppose I'll pick one up for Juli too while I'm at it._ As he drew closer, he wondered if it would be appropriate to bring his filthy board into a cafe. _No definitely not... It'll only be a minute, and no one would want to steal this crappy board_ he thought, dropping his skateboard in the alleyway. He was about to head into the cafe when he heard a familiar voice murmuring. He stopped dead in his tracks.

Ema's point of view:

His skateboard skidded right behind Fuuto. She could recognize it anywhere. The black board with a sleek blue logo and white wheels. "Akio." She whispered.

"What?" Fuuto said, clearly to focused on her to notice Akio's skateboard. "So you love him more than me? Is that it?" He said, raising his voice and grasping her wrists tighter.

"No, you've got it wrong!" she said wincing as she tried to push him away. It was useless, he was much stronger than he was.

"Oh yes, you've got that very wrong." Akio hadn't heard what they were talking about, just the "...you've got it wrong part," and that sign of distress, was enough to set him in protective older brother mode.

Fuuto immediately released Ema at the sound of the older boy's voice, and she ran to hide behind Akio.

"Oh, the knight in shining armor, pffft, spoiling all my fun. This is pathetic. Later fools." As he passed by, he whispered just loud enough for Akio to overhear, "This isn't over yet."

Fuuto wasn't stupid; he had grown a few inches the past year but, he wasn't even close to Akio. Getting in a fight with _her_ brother now, would prove nothing. _I'll get her to choose me,_ he thought, _and when she does, he won't be able to stop me from taking her._

The child's arrogance was enough to make Akio's blood boil. But Fuuto was a popstar, and if he were to punch in the brat's smug face, he wouldn't hear the end of it. He had a hot temper but knew when he should control it.

"Are you alright?" Akio asked Ema, exhaling a stale breath to calm himself. She nodded mutely. "Don't go out by yourself like that without anyone accompanying you." He paused, noticing her oversized jacket "And where did you get that ugly jacket? It looks terrible on you."

She didn't dare say who'd she'd gotten it from.

 **I dunno, it might be too early to ask but, are there any specific characters you want me to focus on? (There are so mannny brothers) Please leave comments and suggestions, and I'll do my best to incorporate them, otherwise I plan on giving all the brothers a fair chance! (Also, I'm being sporadic right now, I know I said I'd update weekly, but I really wanted to post this chapter today... I'll get this thing on a regular schedule soon, I promise!) Any case, thanks for reading, and I hope you liked this chapter! (^-^)** ﾉ


	4. Chapter 3

**Hey! Here's another chapter cause it's Christmas Eve! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! I know this story takes place in the Summer (I'm writing from the northern hemisphere, so it's odd to me that Christmas is during the Summer for you people reading from the southern hemisphere) so I was on the edge- should I write a holiday-ish themed chapter? Well, enough blabber from me, in short- I've decided to go for it! Please, play along- Japan is in the southern hemisphere for this chapter!**

Chapter 3

Kaname was extremely grateful that Akio hadn't seen him inside the cafe. He stood like a deer in headlights, holding his breath as the raven haired boy reached for the door handle to the glass cafe door. To his relief, Akio paused, and turned to face towards the side of the building as if he had heard something, and then he was gone, just as quick.

When Kaname exited the cafe with two coffee cups in hand, he wasn't surprised to see the bench where he had left Ema vacant, but he was still majorly disappointed.

That afternoon, Akio and Ema spent by window shopping around town. "Christmas is coming soon, Akio! Aren't you excited?" she exclaimed as they strolled in front of a candy shop that was having a sale on peppermint candies.

"Sureeee." He said.

Forgetting where, and who she was with, Ema continued thinking aloud, "It'll be so nice, Louis and Hikaru will be returning for the week, and Natsume said he'd take a day off from work to come home for a Christmas dinner." That was enough to put a sour look of distaste on Akio's face. Ema quickly noticed the furrow of Akio's eyebrows, and added, "Oh, but they're good brothers Akio. Just promise to give them a chance, okay?"

He replied with a nod, but really couldn't say that he was going to be able to keep that promise. "Are Dad and Mrs. Miwa going to come?" _Miwa would be able to control her own sons right? Even if they are wolves, if it's one person they'll listen to, it's gotta be her._

"No, they won't be able to make it. They're in Europe, on business, didn't Father tell you?"

Father? Tell him? Well, the answer to that question, was...No. Akio's relationship with Rintarou had been on the rocks ever since he failed to show up at his wedding. They hadn't talked for months and Akio had yet to tell him that he was even in Japan. But he couldn't let Ema know about their fight- it would upset her. Yet at the same time, he couldn't bring himself to tell her a boldface lie.

"Uh, not really." Akio raked a hand through his hair. This was going to be one long week.

-Christmas Day-

A gentle tap rang through the hollow wood of Ema's door. "Chi…? It's Louis... Can I come in?"

She suppressed a yawn as she groggily replied "Yeah, the door's unlocked, you can come in Louis."

The tall, white haired man entered her bedroom and gave a soft smile. "Ah, you look as lovely as ever Chi." He said stroking her hair.

Ema's cheeks turned a crimson shade as his warm, gentle, fingers brushed against her face. She was slightly embarrassed for him to see her in her nightgown and with her messy bed hair, but he didn't seem to mind, as he calmly sat beside her.

He continued to stroke her hair in a daze as he spoke, "Hikaru said he'd be late to the Christmas party tonight so he gave me the dress he wanted you to wear tonight." She hadn't even noticed before, but Louis had a small bag with him, which he handed over to her. "And… I'd like to do your hair…It's been awhile since I styled it last..." He trailed off and in a barely audible whisper added "... and I really missed you while I was in France." His airy breath beside her ear made her blush again.

 _He means he missed me as a sister,_ she quickly corrected herself, _Louis doesn't like me like that. He's different from the rest of the brothers. Even Juli trusts him,_ she thought, attempting to convince herself.

Just then, the door to her room banged open, making the two jump. "Hi lovelies, I've missed you!" Hikaru said, his maroon dress swaying. He swooped in, enveloping Ema in his arms.

"H-Hikaru! I thought you weren't coming until late tonight!" she exclaimed, returning his hug.

"Huh?! Who told you that?" He said, feigning surprise. He already knew what she'd answer-

"Louis, brought me the dress you wanted to give me," she said.

Oh boy, did Hikaru like to throw his brothers for a loop. Louis glared at his brother, realizing he'd been set up.

"Are you sure that's _all_ he wanted to do with you this morning?" Hikaru said raising his eyebrows skeptically. That was it. Louis hated Hikaru. He wouldn't say it outloud, but he didn't need to. Hikaru read people well, and he loved the idea that he'd gotten under Louis' skin.

"Oh no, Louis also said he wanted to do my hair!" Ema said, completely naive to the innuendo of Hikaru's comment.

"Oh, haha- is that so?" Hikaru said, slightly disappointed that Ema hadn't caught onto what he had been implying.

In a flash he was back up to no good as he whispered just loud enough for Louis to hear, "So, I guess I'll just add you to the competition then, huh?" Hikaru said whipping a paper from his jacket pocket. "I heard everything~" He said with a playful, yet sinister smile.

Louis' eyes flicked towards the window where he could see Juli happily watching the sun rise from under the large tree in the courtyard. It would mean betrayal…

It was only for a split second, but Hikaru caught Louis' eyes shift for a moment to the window where he could almost bet was that rabid squirrel. He smirked slyly. _So you're actually contemplating joining the fight over her after all._ His smirk grew.

"Let me know when you're ready for me to do your hair… Okay, Chi?" Louis said hastily getting up to leave. Ema gave a slight nod, her hair bobbing forward as she moved.

His heart longed to remain beside her. Of all the people, Hikaru was the last person he wanted to leave her with. He cast a final glance back at the brunette girl as she smiled and held up a hand to wave goodbye. His auburn brother gave a sly grin. "See ya, Louis!" he chirped. The door clicked shut behind him.

"Oh well, I guess I'll take my leave as well," Hikaru said, "...unless you need help putting on your dress," he added, pausing as he stood up to curl a strand of Ema's delicate hair around his finger. _Her hair is so soft,_ he thought. Her face distorted in a mixture of surprise and confusion, and her brown eyes widened as she processed his words. This expression- she wore- it was so adorable, and as much as he hated to admit it, it made his heart skip a beat.

"N-no, I'll be fine!" She stammered, turning a deep shade of red.

"Of course you will." He said releasing the lock of hair he had entwined around his index finger "Ta-ta!" He said playfully, as he gracefully strode towards the door.

In the hallway he gently clicked her door shut, leaning against it, and releasing a small sigh. He held the hand that still reminisced of the feeling of _her_ hair. _She almost had me thinking, that I could be-falling- No... No way... She's just fun to tease… That's it… That's gotta be it..._

-Dinner that night-

Hikaru could have not been more pleased. It seemed as if the awkward level had risen by ten times since he last visited the house, and he loved it. _What animals these guys are,_ he thought, _I wonder how far each of them has gotten in their relationship with her,_ he thought, thankful that whatever that strange feeling he was experiencing before was gone. His thoughts were interrupted by his youngest brother-

"Hahaa! Foooood!" Wataru exclaimed happily as he looked at the feast Ukyo had prepared. "Yummy!"

"Wait, Wataru, not everyone is here yet, be patient so we can eat as a family, okay?" Masaomi said patting Wataru's fluffy hair. The little boy frowned, but his expression quickly changed as he pointed towards the stairway. "Ahhhhh wow! Oneechan looks so pretty!" He said skipping as he went to greet her. "You're like a princess!"

Ema walked elegantly down the stairs in a beautiful knee length, red dress with delicate lace sleeves. Hikaru knew he'd picked the perfect dress for her, and as much as he hated to admit, Louis had done a fine job styling her hair. It was pinned and curled into a messy bun that made her look all the more cute.

"What's the special occasion?" Natsume asked.

Just then Akio rounded the corner. Akio couldn't believe Ema had convinced him to dress up. She insisted that he dress nicely when he meet the three brothers he hadn't met before, but he knew that she just wanted him to dress formally so that she wouldn't be the only one feeling out of place. He hated wearing ties. They made him feel like he was being suffocated. But it was for his sister, and she had insisted.

 _Who is that,_ thought Hikaru, Louis, and Natsume. The dark haired, fair skinned man was dressed business casual, with a white button down shirt, black pants, and he kept adjusting his tie, as if it were choking him.

 _Ah, so that's why everyone's so tense- She's brought a guy home,_ thought Hikaru. A tugging caught him off guard. It was the same as before… And it came from within. _Is this… But why...?_ He had read about it- written about it… But feeling it wasn't like anything like that- Jealousy.

Natsume looked clearly distraught, while Louis had plastered on a face of indifference.

Natsume was disturbed. He had to admit- this guy Ema had brought home was as handsome as the rest of his brothers, but he couldn't bring himself to believe that she had chosen someone so… what was the word…? Lackadaisical. The raven haired man who seemed to be around his own age, clearly looked like he didn't want to be there, and he kept fiddling with his damn tie. Yet, for some reason, Natsume couldn't help but want to be him. He wanted to be the one beside Ema, and part of him had already decided- _I won't give her up. Not to this guy, and not to anyone else._ He clenched his fists under the table.

"Natsume, Hikaru, Louis, I'd like you to meet my brother, Akio." Ema said gesturing to the man beside her. "We're not biological siblings, because I was adopted, but Akio is Father's true son."

"Ehehe, yeah, I know what you guys were thinking," Tsubaki said laughing as he swung an arm around Akio's shoulders, "but Akio, is a bro."

 _Please stop touching me,_ was all Akio was thinking. _We're not friends, so stop acting like we are,_ he thought, glaring at the arm that was slung over his shoulders.

Hikaru was the first to recover from the shock, "Oh, so you're just another brother, huh? A sly grin gradually crept across his face, as he made a realization. "Not a blood relative though, am I correct?" He paused to let what he was implying sink into his brothers' minds. "So I guess that means you're on the same playing field as the rest of us?"

Hikaru's statements had the attention of everyone, and Tsubaki retracted his arm, realizing the possibility that Akio may be more like himself and his brothers than he wanted. They all knew the 'game' and 'playing field' Hikaru was alluding to, but were all realizing for the first time that Akio wasn't Ema's blood relative, and in that way, he was the same as the rest of them-but to what extent? None of them knew. And that was what struck fear into their souls- No one had cared to get close to him, so no one knew what his relationship with Ema really entailed.

Akio was confused. "Playing field?" _What the hell was this guy talking about?_ He already didn't like this brother. He seemed tricky. Clever. But what was he up to? What could he possibly be playing at?

Hikaru smiled. _Oh jealousy, how could I feel that way, when there is so much fun to be had from the sidelines? Jealousy is not my motive,_ he thought, attempting to push the emotion out of his mind, _chaos is._ The chaos he could create! He loved it. Forget Louis, forget jealousy (if only for a while); this was an opportunity he couldn't pass up. He couldn't wait to turn the tides against this "Akio" guy.

 _This is gonna be good..._

 **It turned out to be another long(er) chapter! I really hope I didn't bore you! I didn't realize how fun Hikaru's character is to write until now Σ(** **ﾟ** **Д** **ﾟ** **) He's so clever and underhanded, and it's just really entertaining for me. Thanks for reading, and as always, I appreciate your feedback, so please comment and/or suggest things-your reviews do matter to me! (Ukyo and (a more sufficient amount of) Natsume will be in the next chapter, I promise!) Also, I still don't have a consistent update schedule (I'm sorrrrrry!), but I** _ **can**_ **tell you I have the next update scheduled for 12/26 if all my writing/editing goes smoothly!** **Happy Holidays! -skw**


	5. Chapter 4

**Yay for me for meeting my deadline! It is indeed 12/26, and as promised, here's another chapter! I hope it's up to your expectations!**

Chapter 4

Ukyo hadn't even considered Akio a threat. _He can't possibly like her like that._ He cursed at Hikaru under his breath. _Hikaru's only trying to mess with us. He wants us to be skeptical of Akio for whatever crazy reason._ He didn't want to believe another brother could like, no- _love_ her- as much as he did.

"Ukyo, what's with that face? You've been staring daggers through that newspaper for a while now." Masaomi cut in. "Tired? Feeling under the weather?... I suppose we were all up late last night-"

"No, It's nothing," Ukyo reassured him. _Ugh. We're all going through the same thing, I know Masaomi's thinking about what Hikaru said too… He just handles it better than me,_ he thought _,_ picking up his mug of coffee. _It'll blow over, as everything Hikaru says eventually does,_ he thought, taking a sip of the bitter drink. He could have roasted and prepared his coffee to the taste of perfection, but this morning, bitter seemed to be a better fit.

Natsume, for a varying number of reasons found himself damn lucky that he had given her that gift last night- the key to his apartment. _That house is getting too crowded,_ he thought, tapping his pen against his desk as he stared out the office complex window. _Another brother to keep her away from…_

Around noon, Ema and Akio began preparing lunch- grilled ham and cheese sandwiches.

"Uwaaahhh!" Wataru cheered in excitement as Ema delivered up his sandwich. "Dontcha whish Mashaomi-nii was here to enjoy these wich us?" he said between mouthfuls of food.

"Yeah," Akio said with a smile, he actually didn't mind Masaomi and Wataru- they actually acted like brothers.

"Oneechan, you should make one for Ukyo too! I'm sure he's hungry!" Wataru added, taking another bite of his sandwich.

"Huh? Ukyo?" Ema said surprised, "He's at work though silly."

"Un-uh," the pink haired boy said, "Masaomi-nii said Ukyo-nii should stay home from work today, because he wasn't feeling well."

 _Must be pretty sick then_ , Ema thought. _The house has been quiet all day, I haven't heard a peep from him._

"I'll prepare him some soup then… Soup and crackers for the sick, right Wataru?" she said, ruffling her little brother's hair.

"Awww, I want soup too!"

"You've got your sandwich to eat though… And I'm sure if you don't eat it, I know someone who would!" Ema added, casting Akio a glance.

"Nooooo Akio! It's mine!" Wataru exclaimed, as Akio took his cue, feigning a grab for his younger brother's food.

A soft knock came through his door, and Ukyo stirred in his bed. _Ugggh,_ the childish part of him wanted to groan. He didn't want Masaomi to make him take another aspirin for his raging headache. He pulled the covers over his head, allowing for a comforting, warm darkness.

 _Gosh his room is so dark,_ Ema thought as she cracked the door open. All the lights in Ukyo's room were off and the blinds over his window were shut. She placed the tray of soup and crackers on his nightstand beside his glasses. Ukyo's body was covered entirely with his flannel blanket, and all that could be seen were his fingertips. Ema let out a soft giggle; this was the first time she'd seen Ukyo act so childish.

 _That voice… It's not Masaomi._ Ukyo thought, slowly pulling the blanket off his face. He couldn't make out the detail of her face without his glasses, but he didn't need to. _Even if I were to go blind, I'd always remember her-every detail._

His piercing blue eyes met her own, startling her. He let a sigh out and closed his eyes again. "S-sorry U-ukyo, I didn't mean to wake you up… How are you feeling?" she asked, reaching a hand out towards his forehead to check his temperature.

His head pounded, Hikaru's words still swirling and reeking havoc in his mind. _Stop being so illogical_ , he cursed at himself. _Hikaru doesn't mean anything he says..._

He didn't see her hand until it was hovering over his forehead. Her gentle fingertips landed just above his eyebrows. He relished in her cooling touch as it calmed his mind. _Don't ever leave_ , he thought, willing her hand to linger a little longer.

He's burning up! Ema thought, immediately noticing Ukyo's skin was on fire. _What should I do? Give him medicine? Bring him to the hospital? Call Masaomi? Oh, I don't know!_ He breathed heavily, as if his sickness was exhausting him. She removed her hand from his forehead.

"Don't go." Faster than he could even think, Ukyo grabbed Ema's small wrist, flipping her so that their positions reversed, and Ema lay under him.

"U-ukyo, w-what are you-" she had never seen nor expected Ukyo to act so… unlike himself. For a split second she also realized how unlike himself he looked. This was the first time she had seen him not in a suit and tie, and wearing his glasses. He was wearing flannel pajama pants, a white t shirt, and hadn't styled his golden hair as he usually did. He looked so much younger… So much more…dangerous...?

His clear blue eyes caught a gleam of light coming from the hallway, his door still ajar, and his hair fell in his face, casting a gentle shadow across his face.

"U-ukyo… You're kind of… close…" Ema managed to say, blushing as she realized how near the handsome man was to her.

"...Only so I won't… lose...you…" He said leaning forward. He longed for her soft lips to touch his own, his heart pounding in his throat; his head spinning with the chaos of Hikaru's words. The woman he loved was so close. As he drew in closer, she closed her eyes… and… flinched? It was a small motion of her head that turned her face, in the smallest fraction, away from his own... _She's… afraid… of...me…?_

 _He's so close_...Ema shut her eyes- she didn't know what to expect from this different side of Ukyo- he was acting so strange… _Could it be his sickness that was making him act like this?_ She wondered. Back to the situation at hand though- what in the world was he doing?! _Ukyo wouldn't kiss me… he's not like that… is he?_

She opened an eye and Ukyo released a breath of all the tension he felt inside, collapsing on top of her, and wrapping his arms around her head. _How is it that I can be so close to her, and never feel like she's ever in my grasp?... Why can I have her in my arms and never feel as though that's enough?_ He thought. All of those years in law school- learning the value of logic over emotion- why couldn't he apply what he'd learned when it came to her?

Ema shifted slightly so that Ukyo lay adjacently behind her rather than on top of her. However, the problem remained- she couldn't move- his arms locked her to his chest and with every exhale she felt his breath brush against her neck. Then she realized- was there a part of her that wouldn't move even if he wasn't holding her there? Just thinking about that idea, she shook her head, a blush tinting her face. _No.. No. Ukyo- He's not like that…And even if he was... I don't like him like that… No.. I can't like him like that._ She thought, trying to convince herself.

"Ah, Ukyo…?" she paused, waiting for his reply.

He said nothing, but he heard her, as he cherished the moments she'd remain in his arms.

"I made soup… Maybe if you eat something, you might feel better… I can get medicine or call Masaomi if you think that'll help too." she added feeling much calmer now than she had before. It was almost as if being close to Ukyo could bring her to act more rationally- as if some of his logical personality could rub off on her.

His embrace tightened around her, the warmth of his fever penetrating her back. She could almost feel his heartbeat. It almost sounded like he was half asleep but he murmured just loud enough for her to hear, "I have a sickness… no… medicine… can…" he really sounded like he were drifting off to sleep in complete exhaustion "...cure." The last word echoed in her ear and she mentally kicked herself as she felt a blush trickle up her neck. _He can't mean...he likes me like...that._

"Bzzzt… Bzzt." A notification for a new text message buzzed on Ema's phone _. I must've drifted off_ , she thought reaching for her phone in her back pocket. She opened her eyes to realize, she was still in Ukyo's room, but was relieved to see that he was in a deep sleep a ways away from her.

The brightness of her phone screen illuminated her face as she read the text message

"New videogame demo. Wanna try it out? My place 6 o'clock tonight? -N"

 _Natsume? Videogame demo?_

"Of course I want to!" She thought tapping her message into the text box. _Oh… But Ukyo… I don't want to have to ask Akio to take care of him until Masaomi comes home… Akio's been busy with his college mathematics preparation, and it seems to be keeping him up until late in the night. He doesn't need any more to worry about,_ she concluded. Hesitantly, she deleted her text before she could second guess herself.

"Can't make it tonight. Ukyo is sick, and Masaomi won't be home until late," she typed instead, clicking the send button before she could change her mind again.

Hikaru must be having a hay day, thought Natsume seeing the new text message on his phone. _He's even gotten to Ukyo… Ukyo… He wouldn't try anything with her…_ he paused, rolling the idea over in his head... _Would he?_ He turned on his heel, and headed towards his old home.

"Ukyo, I'm going to go and prepare dinner for everyone, I can bring some up for you if you feel like eating now." He has to be hungry, he only ate breakfast this morning, and he skipped lunch, Ema thought, getting up to leave. She checked her watch, _it's 5 'o'clock already!?_ She slipped out of the bed catching her reflection in the mirror as she headed towards the door. _Ewwgh, my clothes are all wrinkly, she noticed, pausing, and my hair looks like I just woke up… Well, I suppose I did… But this is terrible,_ she thought taking a swipe at her blouse in hopes of straightening it out. Her hair- no point in messing with that- she was going to need a brush. _I'll head to my room to brush it out before making dinner_ , she decided.

 _Ukyo's door is open,_ Natsume noticed as he exited the stairwell. _Is she in there? Maybe she's in trouble!_ Quick to make that assumption, he picked up his pace. Natsume nearly wiped her out as she exited Ukyo's room.

"Woah! I almost ran you over!" Natsume exclaimed holding onto Ema's shoulders to steady her. His expression immediately changed as he took in her appearance. _Messy bed head hair- it's evening… Wrinkly clothes- she looks disheveled._ One of the top buttons of her blouse had (coincidentally) come undone. What else could explain why she looked like that?

"What happened between you two!?" Natsume demanded. "What did he do to you?! He couldn't, no he didn't want to believe that Ukyo would take advantage of her. But more than that, he didn't want to share Ema with anyone else. He made a sudden realization: _This is what it must've felt like when Subaru saw me confess to her. This what it must feel like to see someone you love in danger- and in danger at the hands of your own kin._

"W-what?" she said, a confused expression sweeping her face. Then she remembered what she looked like. "N-no, you're misunderstanding Natsume, nothing happe-"

That's all he needed to hear. _Thank the stars above,_ Natsume thought, as relief flooded him.

She had looked startled when he first began speaking, but her eyes widened even more when he embraced her, planting his lips on hers.

 _Ugh, I was in the middle of that antiderivative problem, and Hikaru just had to interrupt my focus_ , Akio thought climbing the final stairs, Hikaru in tow a few paces behind him. _Why couldn't he confront those idiots by himself, if it was bothering him so much_ , Akio thought, rolling his eyes. He still didn't have a good feel for what type of guy Hikaru was, so he felt obliged to help him out and give him the benefit of the doubt in the meantime.

"I swear, my brothers were never taught to use their inside voices. All that yelling, sheesh!" Hikaru said. "How's a writer supposed to write with all that racket?"

Akio rolled his eyes again when he faced away from Hikaru. _The house has been quiet all day, I haven't heard anything,_ he thought, getting slightly irritated.

Hikaru let a small grin grace his face. _It wasn't noisy now, and the 'racket' was indeed non-existent, but just wait-he'd seen Natsume burst into the house like a bat out of hell- had known Ema had been with Ukyo the majority of the day- what could make that combination better? Akio. That would guarantee things to get interesting._

"What's with all the noise up-" Akio called as he rounded the final step. It was his turn to be stunned. He froze as he saw Natsume forcing his lips onto hers. Froze, only for a second, and then…

 **That's it for Chapter 4!**

 **Okay first off, I'm super sorry for updating so late in the day- I had some MAJOR issues with Doc Manager that took me all day to resolve, so although it is 12/26 still(for me at least), I had really had wanted to post this chapter, like... twelve hours ago XD. In the future, if it seems like I'm taking longer than I said I would to update, swing by my profile page, and that's where I'll post notices if my writing is going to be delayed. Well, I guess nothing can be done about those glitches, so I don't want to talk about Doc Manager anymore; it really had me stressin out there*sighhhh***

 **Alright, back to the story, (Holy cow that was a long chapter,) how'd you like it? I know I had a lot of fun writing this, so I hope reading it was just as enjoyable! Ukyo's character offers a lot to work with, so I hope you liked my take on him. I super duper appreciate feedback, comments, suggestions, and reviews, and I do read them! (Masaomi is on his way in the next chapter!) Thank you for reading, and I hope everyone enjoyed their holidays! -skw (^-^)**


	6. Chapter 5

**It's been a while since I updated, I'm sorry! T-T**

 **It's also a new year now, so happy (late) new year!**

Chapter 5

"No! Aki-" _I can't see Natsume hurt again, it'll be the second time he's taken a hit- all because of me..._

"Thwack," a clean strike across Ema's face.

 _Shit. She moved so quickly to keep me from hitting him, I couldn't stop my hand. It was too fast. I couldn't stop. I couldn't..._ Akio stood in horror as she lay motionless on the ground in front of him. _What have I done?_

 _She moved in front of me to block the rage of Akio_. Part of Natsume saw it coming, but she was so quick to move in front of him; he was reaching for her shoulder to pull her back, but he was too slow. Natsume rushed, bending down towards where she lay sprawled on the floor. Akio- he hurt her, and it took everything in Natsume's power to keep him from punching him in the face. _Calm down. She needs help. I need to help her._ He gently lay the fingers of his right hand over her neck, feeling for her pulse, while his left hand dialed for an ambulance. _Her heartbeat is as gentle as she is…so vulnerable..._ A light blush tinted his cheekbones and he shoved the idea away. _Not the time for that, come on Natsume. Think straight._

It seemed as though she was knocked out cold, and it would be a few minutes before first responders could get to the residence.

 _I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry,_ Akio repeated in his head. He had finally got his body to move and had thrown himself to a kneel beside her and held her hand in his own trembling one. He couldn't remember the last time he cried; and here he was, salty tears drenching his pale skin. He couldn't remember the last time he was scared; and he was terrified. "I'm- I'm-sorry. I-I didn't mean to hurt you," he said between gulps.

 _Is this really happening?_ Hikaru thought, _did he really just punch her?_ If it had been anyone else, he would have laughed, seeing them fly in the direction of Akio's swing. _Heck, if that had been Louis, that would've been a knee slapper,_ he thought. But seeing _her_ , so fragile, so delicate, so gentle, body fall towards the ground; hearing the thud as she landed, he could almost hear a cracking sound from within his… heart? _Why am I feeling this pain? Why am I feeling this… empathy?_

In that moment as Hikaru held his chest, he made a simple realization: _I want her to be with me. If she ever goes away- No she can't. I don't want her to go. Without her, I feel nothing. She's the glue that keeps me from shattering into nothingness...My heart has been broken for so long… so many cracks… all this time she's shown me kindness- the innocence I lack- she's been gluing me back together piece by piece. Since she's been here, what I've been feeling, is a feeling I haven't felt for almost five years. It's the feeling... of being whole again._

It had been an entire day, and Akio had barely gotten a wink of sleep. Dark circles enveloped each of his cloudy eyes as he waited at her bedside for her to wake up. She had been knocked out cold for a solid ten minutes before she had first woken up in the hospital, but fell asleep pretty quickly after Akio had arrived. Her profuse nose and gum bleeding had left her a little light headed and she had been feeling dizzy so she had just decided to sleep it off. Her cheek was puffy, and now that the night had passed, it was starting to show a purple and green tint of discoloration.

Her eyes fluttered open, and Akio, let out a sigh of relief.

"Akio? What happened? Where are we? When did you arrive in Japan?" she asked, throwing off the hospital bed sheets to give her older brother a hug. She continued, "You chose to come to see Father and Miss Miwa wed, over your studies after all? I really think Father would understand if you were to choose your college work over attending the wedding..." she continued, but Akio tuned out.

 _What? She doesn't remember?_

 _"_ Ema. Wait. You've... You're missing a huge chunk of time. All of that already happened… You're in the hospital, and it's been a couple weeks since I've been in Japan, and years since you've been." From there he couldn't help but continue his word vomit, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. It was an accident, and I didn't mean to do it, but it seems like you've lost a large portion of your memory… And it's all my fault. I'll explain everything right now. Yesterday, you and-"

"No," she cut in, "I don't want to hear you blame yourself." At first, she was startled to learn she had lost her memory, but she quickly decided, _nothing Akio could say would ever change how much I love him as my brother, and if my situation is as he says, him telling me, won't make it any easier or harder to cope with._

"But-" Akio started. _She has it all wrong. Why can't she accept that I've done something wrong?_

"I said 'no,' Akio. I don't care what part you have in my memory loss, but I trust you… And you have to trust me that I'll find a way to get the time I've lost back," she said smiling gently. _I'm freaked out that I've lost time but, how much could it be? It can't be that bad... Right?_

"Have you eaten a meal yet Akio?" Ema asked concerned that her brother looked so disheveled.

"No."

"Go eat," she said firmly. "This is a hospital right? Go get food… And please get some for me, I'm hungry too."

He paused for a long while, hesitating to leave her alone. "Okay."

Masaomi rushed to the second floor of the hospital quickly telling his secretary that there had been a family emergency. He had received the long awaited text from Akio:

"She's awake. She's lost a lot of her memory. She doesn't remember anything from the wedding until yesterday. I know it's my fault, and I don't expect you or your brothers to forgive me, but I want you to go see her before all the rest of her brothers get here."

Akio had told all of the brothers the situation, but so far, Masaomi seemed the only one to attempt to understand him, so Akio had wanted to notify his oldest step brother first.

Masaomi rushed out of the clinic, thankful that he didn't have any patients scheduled until the evening. He tossed his white doctor's coat on the coat hanger in his office as he made his way for the elevator.

Ema was up out of her bed, and wandering around her room. She found herself standing in front of a mirror hanging on the door. Her hair had grown longer than she last remembered and her style had changed as well. She was wearing a simple, white blouse and jeans. She stuck her hands in her pockets out of curiosity. In one of her back pockets, she found her wallet with a college school id, three thousand yen and a paperclip. _I have lost a lot of time. I remember last being in high school..._ In the adjacent back pocket, her phone. She moved onto her front pockets. _I don't use front pockets but I'll check anyway._ She shoved her left hand into her front pocket and her finger touched cold metal. She grasped the thin metallic surface and pulled out… _a key?_

 _Who's key is this?_ she thought, turning the silver key in her hand. _Definitely not Akio's._ She noticed that there was a number and letter embossed onto its surface. _An apartment key? It can't be Father's either, he lives in a house._ An idea hit her. _Did I get a boyfriend in the time gap I'm missing?... No. It can't be that... But if so... Akio would trust him, and he'd be notified of my accident right after Father. That would be Akio's path of thinking- to tell the people closest to me first._ She knew her brother well. Only so many parts of her theory were so wrong.

Masaomi couldn't help but shoving the sliding hospital room door open, ripping it to the side with all of his strength.

The mirror on the door rumbled as the door flew open. A tall light brown haired man stood in the doorway. _So this must be him…My boyfriend... What do I say? I don't remember him at all…_

"You're okay now," he said gently, his voice, warm and deep. He was so relieved to see her up and moving, and his heart fluttered, upon seeing her. But he quickly spotted a key in her grasp. _Is that… Natsume's apartment key?_

 _He's so gentle. So handsome. And he's the one I loved?... The one who loves me?_ His chestnut eyes lowered towards the key in her hand. _His eyes… why do they look so distant? So sorrowful?_ His large warm hands enveloped her own so that the key was safely tucked into the heart of Ema's palm, and he pulled her into his safe embrace. _He's so strong… But so gentle,_ she thought.

 _I didn't want to see his key in her hands… I can't bring myself to tell her I'm not him… Not the person she thinks I am… Not her boyfriend. She'll find out eventually… But this is a moment I've longed for for so long. To feel her heartbeat against my own… To express my love that could never be returned._

"I love you." Masaomi whispered. _It's time to let go._ Her large brown eyes widened and a blush danced on her cheeks as he leaned closer. His movements were confident, yet inside he cowered in fear. _I know I'll lose her to someone else, but in this moment she's mine._

She could feel his warm breath fall on her mouth as he lay his lips onto her own.

The kiss was short. Bittersweet. Ema could tell the man who held her wouldn't kiss her often, no matter how much he loved her.

"I'm sorry… I want to tell you... No. I have to tell you... I'm not the guy you think I am... Not the guy for you." Those words burned as they sounded out of his mouth. They were so hard to say, he almost hear his heart searing above a flame. "I'll always be here for you. But, I can't be the one physically beside you." _It stings. That was my first and likely, last kiss with you. I don't want that to be the truth. It hurts so much to admit it is though._

"I love you." The words came flying out faster than she could stop them. "I can tell how much you care for me, even though I don't remember you now… but I will do everything to rebuild the relationship we had. I _will_ remember." A shocked expression washed over the young man's face.

To both of their surprise he let out a sigh that almost sounded like a laugh. _She can say that so purely- see that I have some good left in me- she doesn't remember who I am- doesn't even recall my name- and yet she still assumes the best of my personality._

"I know a dozen guys that would die to hear you tell them that."

"Are you not one of them?"

He nodded solemnly. _Of course I am._ "It's as you say, but if you mean it when you tell me those three words, then- it scares me... Because I know that they'll only end up hurting you more. Returning my feelings would be selfish of you. And if it's one thing you're not, it's selfish." He said brushing her hair out of her face. _I can't mislead her like this._ Her hair draped over his hand, as he curled it behind her ear, ingraining it's soft texture into the memory of his fingertips before letting go. He cherished the last moments he held her in his arms, memorizing the rhythm of her heartbeat, until her pulse became part of his own, and released her.

"I'll tell you everything I know… Everything you may have forgotten… It'll be hard to hear, but I promise to tell you the truth… Because I know you deserve nothing less than that..."

 **You've made it to the end of Chapter 5! It was a tad long so thanks for bearing with me, and thanks for reading! Masaomi is such a nice guy, and I don't think his chance with Ema should end here… Well, I have some time to figure that out so… yeah. So next chapter looks like Iori and Subaru? Not sure if I can get them both into the same chapter, but I'll see what I can do (^-^) Like always, feel free to leave suggestions, reviews and comments, and I'll do my best to accommodate! I'm always looking to improve my writing! -skw**


	7. Chapter 6

**Back with another chapter! Yay! There'll be two parts to this chapter (for sake of clarity)! (Also I added another OC in this chapter, so I hopppppppee that it works out, and you find her at the very least… interesting) I feel like that was a risky move… risk-ay, risk-ay… we'll see how it goes.**

Chapter 6 part 1

Alone, in his solemn flower shop, Iori wore one of those hard to read faces. His cloudy gray eyes held a neutral calm, yet his jaw clenched tightly together, as he held his phone in a steady hand. It took every bit of focus to keep it from shaking, as Akio's message illuminated his face. It was a Summer evening that reminded him of her. He faded into a memory, still clutching the fragrant and beautiful roses he had been meaning to trim…

 _Two Summers Ago..._

"Is… Is something the matter Iori?" Lenny asked him, her voice gentle and concerned. " You're grasping your phone awfully tight. It had been while since the young, blonde haired school girl had spoken to him. She hadn't come to the shop during the first week of Summer break, whereas when school was in, she'd drop by on every Monday and Friday evening to pick out one flower. And when she paid for whatever flower she was buying they'd talk- mostly about flowers, and some about school work. She'd sit on the stool across from his work table, and they'd talk and laugh for hours, and then she was gone. Lenny's company was enjoyable. Sweet. Relatable. Gentle.

He liked her _._ His time with her always seemed too short.

Other than Lenny's conversations, Iori usually heard, or rather, _overheard_ , Lenny's friends talking about how 'mysterious and adorable' he was. They'd whisper in a voice that they thought he wouldn't bother to listen to, and say "He's so kind and mysterious, and I hear he was valedictorian the year he graduated high school, just like you Lenny! And what's more?! He loves flowers!" And the others would say, "Guys like him don't exist… What I'd give for a prince like him to go out with me though… Lenny you and him would be perfect together, you like the same things…You're totally his type… Awwww I wish I were you..."

Iori felt bad for how much Lenny's friends pressured her, shoving her towards him when they came to his shop with her to visit (they never bought anything). It was only the petite girl that ever bothered to buy a single flower. What a mysterious girl. Only one flower. Twice a week… He still hadn't figured out what that flower was for… or who it was for.

She raised her eyebrows, waiting for his reply. "Oh... Lenny, it's nothing. I'm fine." Iori paused, giving his most convincing smile, as he set down his cellphone on his work table. "It's just that I need to get home soon. My little brother's gotten sick. I'm going to close the shop earlier than usual." The last thing he wanted to do was kick Lenny out, but he should be home soon. Wataru was sick with the flu and Masaomi and Ukyo were out at work, and had texted saying that if he could make it back to the house and watch over Wataru until Kaname returned, they'd be grateful.

"Oh, of course. I'll leave immediately." Lenny said turning towards the glass door. She had caught onto the idea that he wanted her to leave as soon as possible, but for some reason, her body wouldn't move- wouldn't follow the orders she had commanded it to obey. It was almost like every piece of her being knew it would be the last time she could be with him.

Her logic finally won out, _It's the end. He won't remember a simple schoolgirl like me. I never took the chance to explain why I bought a flower twice a week for the past year. He'll never know why that was so important… Never know why he was so important to me… So is the way of life-unfair..._ She pushed open the storefront door letting the warm, dusk breeze catch in her wispy platinum hair. _What a pleasant evening. My last one with him._ It was a perfect evening, a crimson dusk approaching, yet still warm. The air tasted bittersweet. _How ironic- this is the memory I'll have of my goodbye to him. If it were raining or cold, I would want to forget this day._

Without turning around she spoke, "My friends are always talking about how you'd be the perfect match for me. But we're so different. You can befriend anyone, whereas my existence struggles to be acknowledged… You live in a fashion of simplicity whereas I struggle in complexity... And yet... I like you. I don't know if it's 'like'... or envy that draws me towards you… But I do know that I wish I were more like you. More caring. More simple. There's a lot to be desired. You're a lot of things I'm not, and wish I could be."

"No." That was all that managed to come out of his mouth. He continued "You don't like _me._ You like what I've devoted myself to- flowers." He wanted to tell her how much she under-credited herself, and how much she over-credited him. " Don't misunderstand Lenny. You like flowers- in fact, probably even more than me. I've never known someone so well versed as myself in the language of flowers- you're even more knowledgeable than me... You don't like me. I'm not what brings you here. It's the flowers." He said those words and immediately regretted sounding so harsh towards her. _It came out all wrong. I should have told her how much I like her, how much I admire her._ Not to mention, he wished she _did_ like him more than his flowers. She was everything, he could have ever wanted- logical, smart, knowledgeable, beautiful- everything. "I didn't mean-"

"It's okay." she said letting out a sigh that sounded like a laugh, "You know I understand." She tilted her face over her shoulder, to face him one last time, her green eyes catching the evening sunlight. "Thanks Iori. For everything, I mean... I'm going back to Europe soon. My summer study abroad term will be done in a couple of weeks."

 _It hurts too much to tell him why his flowers were important, and with each passing moment it's becoming exponentially difficult to even look at him. Iori's so much like him… No. That's a burden only I should carry_. "I won't be back again before I leave… This is..." Tears welled up in her eyes, but she swallowed them. "Goodbye."

He let her leave that evening without trying to make her stay. He wanted so badly to tell her that she would see him again. He wanted to tell her that he'd make sure of that, even if he had to travel to every country, every city in Europe to find her. But he didn't.

She never looked back. But he watched her back until it faded to the size of a speck, as she walked away down the sidewalk. She was right. She always kept her promises. From the day she first entered the shop saying "I'll be back every Monday and Friday, so I'll see you again soon!" to that last goodbye. It _was_ the last time he would see her.

Back to Present time:

He trimmed the roses he held in his hand, plucking out each thorn with his bare fingertips. _Too many people… I've hurt too many people. I'm a coward. I should have tried harder._ He felt as a couple of old scars encasing his left index finger caught on the thorns of the roses. Lenny's image flashed in his mind again. Her shimmering tears millimeters from escaping. Her sorrow deep in her translucent sea green eyes-so much pain he hadn't even tried to understand. Her back as she left.

He had travelled to Europe, studied in Europe, but he hadn't been able to find her.

 _To love someone again? Perhaps one day._ He set the roses aside. Roses reminded him of her. He remembered those days after she left his shop, that he trimmed roses and dreamed of the day he'd give them to her. _Lenny. She was my first love._

He selected a set of yellow daffodils from his garden pail. _A new beginning; it's perfect. One would predict misfortune. Multiple would forecast happiness._ He set the bundle in plain white paper and rolled it up, taping it to hold. "For Ema" he labeled a tag and pasted it to the paper.

 _I don't ever want to see anyone so sorrowful again. That's why... Ema… She's special. She's still with me. And I have to do everything I can to protect her._ His phone buzzed again. He glanced at it on his worktable.

"Ema just got clearance from the doctor to go home. We're heading back to the house if you all want to visit, -Akio"

 _She's okay. I don't know what would happen if she were to leave me… Went away and never looked back at me like Lenny… I think if it were her... If that were to happen again with Ema, it would shatter whatever pieces of me that are still left intact..._

Chapter 6 part 2

Meanwhile…

"Subaru?"

"Yeah, that's my name, Subaru." _She really doesn't remember my name?_ He thought looking at her as she sat overwhelmed beside him on the hospital bed.

"Masaomi was here earlier, and he told me about you. How you like basketball, how college stresses you out, and...how you're bad with girls.

He turned red at the last comment. "Masaomi said that?!" _Ughhh and here I thought I was being given a second chance to change my first impression._ He ran a hand through his short black hair.

She giggled and nodded. "Masaomi also said that you and I are going to the same college. Isn't that exciting?! You really do seem like a thoughtful older brother- I'm sure you had a role in helping me choose which college to attend, huh?" she said nudging him.

 _There's that word again-' older brother'_ he hated that word coming from her. And more than anything else, he hated the idea of starting his relationship over from the very beginning. He thought he had finally gotten her to consider him as something other than that, and now… no. He didn't want to start over as her older brother again.

He grasped her face in both of his hands and pulled her face to meet his so that their foreheads met, and closed his eyes. If he saw her blushing face, this close to his own, he'd lose any composure that he retained. Ignoring her college comment, he spoke, "You're not a sister to me… I know what I'm doing now is unfair to you… But you have to know that…" He paused, briefly reconsidering. _No. I'm not a coward. I won't shy away anymore._ "I love you. I didn't tell you before you lost your memory and in a way, good or bad, I want your first memory of me to be this moment. I love you… And I will wait for you. As long as it takes for you to answer me. I'll protect you in college from whatever you fear, and I will be beside you always- lean on me whenever you need to steady yourself. Please… rely on me."

She was silent, startled by the seriousness of the so-called 'aloof' brother; startled by the the familiarity he spoke to her with. "Promise me, you will…" He said, the warmth of his face warming her own.

He was so close. And she had to admit, he didn't give off the feeling of an older brother... And she couldn't possibly see him as one either… Not after what he'd said. Not after seeing him so flustered, and… cute?

"I promise."

Hearing her soft voice, as it sounded out the words he had desired to hear for so long, he almost did lose control. He wanted to kiss her, wanted to hold her close, but instead he released her. _I can't. Not after all I've done today. Not after all I've forced her to accept. And she's only met Masaomi and I so far. She's already overwhelmed and she hasn't met the other eleven…_

"... Thank you." His metallic gray eyes opened, and as he gazed upon her face, a light pink blush dusted his cheeks. "I'll leave now," he said, getting up to leave. He slid the door open, and stepped out. "I'll… see you back at the house soon." He added before sliding the door shut behind him.

Akio trudged down the hallway with two take out boxes of Chinese food, he had picked up in the cafeteria of the hospital. The steamed pork buns, fried rice, and stir fried veggies filled the hall with a to-die-for aroma. He was practically drooling it smelled so good.

"MMMMM" Hikaru said interrupting his daydream of delicious food. "That smells sooooo good, doesn't it Akio? And, you're going to _share_ some with your favorite step brother aren't you?

 _I swear I can't seem to shake this guy. He follows me everywhere I go. I hardly ever get to talk with Ema alone anymore. It's almost like he's… skeptical of me… As if he doesn't trust me to be around her alone._

 _He spends so much time with her,_ Hikaru thought, _I was joking when I was implying that Akio could be interested in her like that. I'm not paranoid… Paranoia has never been something I was interested in, but I can't help but be… jealous…_ He cringed at that thought. _Me? Jealous?_ Those two words didn't even belong in the same sentence… But it seemed that recently… He was beginning to feel emotions he had previously considered himself immune to…

"Huh? Subaru? What are you doing here?" Akio asked, breaking Hikaru's train of thought.

The charcoal haired boy walked out of Ema's room, and Hikaru felt a flame burn up through his chest, _what was he doing with her?_ He read the dazed expression his younger brother wore- it was the expression he always wore right after being with her. Before he could stop it, an old sense of mischief replaced that fiery jealousy.

"Sooooooo, Subaru, you want to tell us what you were doing in Ema's hospital room?" He asked swinging an arm over Akio's shoulder as he grinned slyly. "I'm sure Akio would love to hear what you have to say... (get ready to dodge a punch little bro)," he added under his breath, laughing.

 _Don't touch me,_ was all Akio was thinking. _What's with these brothers and pretending we're all happy friends? We're not friends. Don't act like we are,_ he thought, glaring at the arm slung over his shoulder. _Hikaru and Tsubaki, sheesh, they both act like they're my friends, but the reality of it all is quite the opposite. They wear me out, just thinking about them… ughh. Thank the stars above Tsubaki isn't here yet, I don't think I'd be able to handle both him and Hikaru at the same time._

 **So that's it for this chapter! Are you interested in hearing more about Lenny and Iori? (What's your opinion on Lenny in general? I'm curious- what's your take on her? Like? Dislike?) Or do you want to hear about Hikaru's past (I had a little tidbit about Hikaru's past last chapter- about how it had been five years since he'd felt whole again) are you curious about that? Or would you prefer the next chapter to be in the present with another brother? And of course any other comments, reviews and suggestions are also appreciated! Thank you so much for reading, and I'll be back soon with the next chapter! -skw**


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

They hadn't even been home for ten minutes and Ema was already in tears. She had left her old passport application forms on her desk and had seen them first thing when she entered her room. _Why did it have to be_ _ **that**_ _, that Masaomi forgot to tell her. She doesn't remember having already discovered she was adopted. I heard how traumatic that was the first time- she ran away from home… It's so cruel that she has to go through this twice..._ Akio thought releasing a sigh as she sobbed into his shirt.

"Why?... Akio… Why didn't you tell me… You knew…? All this time, didn't you? She asked him, tears welling up in her eyes. He couldn't look at her. _It would be a lie to say I didn't know… I've always known we weren't biological siblings. I was nearly eight years old when she was adopted._

 _His sorrowful, eyes say everything… He can't even look me in the eye...He knew… Maybe he's disgusted to look at me._ "You don't have to… force yourself… to like me… Or play the 'older brother' role… You aren't my older brother anyway."

 _Wow. Those words sting._ Akio could almost feel the searing effect her words had on his heart. Part of him wanted to cry like a hurt child, and the other part, he was fighting to reign back- he wanted to yell in frustration- " _I've done so much to protect you! I always will! Why can't you see that I've always loved you?! That I always will?! You've always been that precious… Why? Why can't you see that?!_

"Father… He's not even my father. I'm… just burdening you like I burdened my blood family."

 _Rintarou loves her like his own._ "Stop it." He said, the harshness in his voice surprised him, and she stopped pushing him away for a moment, startled by his firm tone. "You're acting childish, Ema." The part he had tried to bury slipped out as he let out an airy scoff. _You're really going to disregard all the time I spent with you? All the love I gave you? Can you really not see how much I love you?_

She wanted to scream. " _You have no idea what this feeling is like! I was abandoned! The man I called Father my entire life isn't my father! And what's worse? He hasn't visited me once since I moved here! Heck, this is the first time YOU'VE visited me since I moved here._ She wanted to run. His strong arms held her from leaving him though. "Let me go."

His arms obeyed her words without contest. He couldn't will them to stay wrapped around her. She was gone before he could stop her. He was hurt. He was drenched in her tears. And more than anything, he felt guilty.

He combed a hand through his disheveled hair, as he sat on the edge of his bed. _Emotions. They're so unreliable. So unstable._ He thought as he reached to grab his flannel off the back of his desk chair. His tear-stained blue sweatshirt reminded him of emotions he hated to think he had. Emotion- it was so… Irrational... Sorrow. Loneliness. Guilt. He yanked off the hoodie in one swipe and buttoned up his flannel shirt. He longed for the stability of logic. What was he to do? _She blatantly said I wasn't her brother. So what does that make me?_ He shifted off his bed and onto his chair. In times like this, he sought the rational, logical, sensible stability of math. _For every problem, there exists an answer, even if it's undefined. I'll figure it out what to do._ He thought, tapping his pencil against the binding of his calculus notebook.

Hikaru wished he hadn't eavesdropped on that conversation. She practically flew out of Akio's room, tears streaming down her face. He couldn't stop his hand from grabbing her wrist. Startled, she began to protest, but he was already dragging her out of the house.

"Where are we going…?"

"Hikaru." He filled in.

"Hikaru, let go of me."

"Not happening." He chimed.

It had seemed like they had been walking forever. It was already evening when they had left, but now the suburban city lights began to flicker on.

"Seriously, if this is a joke-"

"It's not."

They neared a small path leading up a grassy, rolling hill.

"Come on," he said smiling.

"Why? For what?."

"I'll tell you when we get to the top of this hill."

 _He's already dragged me this far, what's a small hill more?_

The two reached the top of the grassy hill in the midst of the evening darkness. Ema's breath was taken away as she saw the sparkling lights of the city against the blanket of the coming night. A deep shade of crimson spanned across the landscape as the sun tucked itself beneath the horizon. She couldn't remember the last time seeing a sunset this beautiful.

 _Am I really showing her my special place? The last time I came up here with company was five years ago- the last day I remember calling Louis my brother. He stole the one person I thought I could have ever loved. I had shown her the only beauty I had ever known- the stars, and the next day, Louis confessed to her. And that was enough. Words were enough to sway her. I didn't say those words, I had let the stars speak for me that night, and she clearly didn't understand them._

He glanced over at the woman he had recently realized he loved. She turned her head towards the sky, her dark locks of hair, cascading across her face. An airy whisper rang through the solemn silence. "It's beautiful. The stars- they're so clear tonight. I've never seen something so peaceful, yet so divine...Hikaru… I understand. It's the light. Your name, the kanji- it means "light."

"You're right." Her words carried the same meaning as winning the lottery. Bells and cheers sounded throughout his head. He looked up towards the heavens- towards the thousands of glimmering shards of hope scattered throughout the expanse of an endless universe. He couldn't remember the last time he felt so happy. So happy to be understood.

He released her wrist, sat on the ground, and then lay on his back. The stars were so elegant tonight. He could watch them forever. Alone on his hill, with only the stars that shared the same concept as his name. Except, he wasn't alone this time. He sensed the movement in the grass next to him as she lay down next to him. _It's not often someone sees the world the same as me… And even less often that I encourage them to._ He thought.

His own voice startled him. "You're loved by everyone in our family… You know that, don't you?" _Why do I sound… as if I care what she thinks of them?_ His voice seemed to have a mind of it's own as he continued, "You should apologize to Akio." _Where did that come from?_

She moved her face to look at his, but he just kept talking towards the stars.

"You need him... I lost a brother. Not physically of course. But I lost trust in him. And it hurts." _Why am I saying this… It's too… true to say… Why am I being so honest…? Louis didn't know that I liked her, I know I can't blame him for acting when he had no idea, but I still feel as though he betrayed me._ "I should have repaired our relationship while I still could… Even if it was his fault in the first place… I should have forgiven him… I know you probably feel like Akio's wrong- that he doesn't care, but I've seen it- how much he really does care about you. You can't afford to lose a person that values you that much."

"I know…" He didn't look at her, but it was almost as if it were quiet enough to hear the river of tears stream down her cheeks… "But what of you? Your relationship with your brother? Can't you do something?"

He turned to face her, "Don't worry your pretty little head over that," he said tapping her gently on the nose. "You have enough on your plate already. You fix your problem first." He smiled. Not a smirk, but a genuine smile. It had been awhile since he'd done one of those… And it felt… warm. Warm against the frigid darkness that lingered in his heart after Louis had betrayed his trust- whether he knew or not. This time, he'd be sure to not to lose. Or rather, he'd at least put up a fight. And she was worth fighting for.

 **So that's the end of this chapter! Hikaru is such a complex character to write, there are so many options and possibilities, so I hope you like the route I took! I wanted to write Iori too, but I feel like this chapter should stand on its own. Present time with Iori will be in the next chapter, I promise! As always, I'm eager to hear any feedback, suggestions, and reviews you have as; it really does motivate me to write more and improve my style! Thank you so much for reading! (^-^) -skw**


	9. Chapter 8

**I have a busy week ahead of me (so manyyy exams) so I'm posting this chapter a tad early, because I wasn't sure if I'd have time over the weekend update! Hope you enjoy reading this chapter! (^-^)**

Chapter 8

The morning sun peeked through her lavender colored curtains. Ema blinked a couple times to wake her drowsy eyelids. _What a magnificent dream. A beautiful dream. That handsome man, his presence was so… comforting._ She reached to rub her eyes, but in the motion instead found a crinkled paper in the palm of her hand. In neat handwriting it read:

"That stars were beautiful tonight, more than they normally are. 'Cause you were there beside me. -Hikaru"

 _She's heavier than she looks,_ Hikaru thought, as he carried the sleeping girl down the hill. He wished the Sunrise residence was closer to his stargazing spot. She wore the soft look of exhaustion as she lay in his arms peacefully tucked beneath his jacket that he had draped over her. On her, it was oversized, making her look even more small. The night had grown chilly, yet carrying her gave warmth to his flesh. He couldn't shake the idea- _This is what it's like to care._ He hadn't cared for anyone or anything for so long. He hadn't allowed himself to feel the emotion of love for so long. _I don't want to be that monster anymore… I don't want her to see that monster anymore._ He was changing. It wasn't a game anymore. Or perhaps it was; only now, he actually cared about what was at stake if he lost.

If it was anything that he never thought would happen, it would be that he never saw himself allowing another person to incite the change he feared would only get him hurt again.

He feared what feeling a bond meant. It meant he could hurt her. It meant she could hurt him. Attachment was dangerous- he had learned that the hard way. _Right when you think the world is yours; that your fate in your own hands, someone can snatch it away and dangle it just out of reach…_ But the warmth of her body in his arms- he didn't want to let it have the chance to be taken away. Not her. _It's every bit worth the risk… I want more moments like this… I want to wake up to her… Go home to her… Hold her in my arms… And… Never let go..._

The residence was silent when they returned. Everyone had gone to bed for the night. He carried her to her bedroom where he found her door unlocked. _She's got to remember to lock her door,_ he thought, _she lives with a bunch of guys, that can't be safe…_ He gently laid her on her bed, and tucked her beneath her fleece bedsheets. _She's pretty- even like this,_ he thought brushing his fingertips across her tear stained face. _A princess._ He took out his pocketbook and ripped a page from his planner, and borrowed a pen from her nearby desk... Too far lost in his thoughts to notice the bundle of flowers that sat atop the wooden surface.

 _This is so cheeeeeessy,_ he thought, but there was no stopping his hand from writing those words. As the author he was, he felt like he could write something truly outstanding, but at the same time he felt like it would sound unnatural if he wrote something like that to convey the simple thing he was trying to say. The perfect words were "I love you," but to mean anything, he knew he had to say it to her face. Too late, they were already written. He wrote a new set of phrases: "The stars were beautiful tonight, more than they normally are. 'Cause you were there beside me. -Hikaru." He tore the paper separating the two phrases, keeping the one that said "I love you," and stuffed it in his pants pocket.

In a couple of strides, he found himself in her doorway, his gaze returning to her sleeping figure. "Goodnight." His hand was making the move to close her door. But his feet abandoned him bringing him back to her bedside. The movements felt so unfamiliar as he wrapped his arms around her. "You're the one that's saving me…" She stirred, at the sound of his voice but quickly fell back asleep. "Thank you." He whispered gently placing a kiss on her forehead. And then he was gone.

The earthy smell of Hikaru surrounded her. She realized she was wearing a crimson jacket that surely didn't belong to her, and her cheeks turned a rosy shade at the thought of him being so close to her. The piece of clothing held a crisp scent- similar pine needles, but fresh like a wintery forest after the first snowfall. It was comforting and warm, just like the man it belonged to.

 _I may not know him all that well, but I feel as though I understand him..._ She inhaled the soothing aroma, memorizing it. She held his hastily written note tight to her chest, _I don't want to forget again...These are wonderful people. I need to apologize to Akio… I need to tell him how much I love him, and how much I wish I could take back what I said… If I were to lose my memory again… I don't think I could forgive myself for forgetting my place and acting so insolently. And the way things stand now, I don't think I deserve such supportive family..._

She was half way to her door when she realized, _I should change my clothes before I go out_. Her jeans were smudged with grass and her blouse too. She had been laying on that hill much of the night, and it definitely showed. _Juli must be with Akio, he's not around,_ she realized. She roamed to her closet and picked out a plain white, long sleeved shirt, black jeans and a denim button down that she left unbuttoned to go over it. She quickly brushed her hair, whipping it back into her usual ponytail. _My hair is so much longer than I remember it,_ she thought. _It's so strange that I'm missing nearly a year's worth of time. Everyone acting so familiar around me makes me feel as though I haven't missed anything…_

She moved towards her desk to check her calendar but found a small bundle of yellow flowers laying over it instead. _Flowers? From… who?_ Leaving notes behind seemed to be the theme of the day as she found a little card tucked in between the stems of the bright bouquet. She flipped it open:

"Daffodils. For a happy future- multiple." Then in a seemingly rushed font, it appeared that another phrase had been added: "Meant to talk to you face to face, but looks like I came when you left. Come find me flower shop - Iori"

 _Iori? Now what did Masaomi say about him… A college student, right?… And he runs a flower shop... I have so many brothers now, it's hard to remember..._

He was about to give up waiting for her. _It's almost time to close… She's not coming…_ he thought rocking in his stool, tipping it so that he balanced precariously on two of it's legs. He sighed shovelling a hand through his gray locks of hair.

The bell dangling above the weathered oak door jingled as she walked in. The evening sunlight catchingt on her silky hair.

"Ema, you… came."

She nodded, her hair rippling forward, "Yes, I'm sorry I wasn't able to come sooner… I got caught up with something…" she trailed off as if embarrassed, a blush creeping onto her cheeks.

"What?" Iori's curiosity had been piqued, and he couldn't help but ask.

"N-Nothing. I-it's fine" She paused and forced a smile, and changed the subject. "I'm just sorry, I'm coming so late in the day, it must be almost time for you to close," she said glancing towards the store hours printed on a paper that faced the outside.

He wasn't going to push the matter if she didn't want to talk about it. He didn't want to drive her away. But he knew something had happened. One of his brothers- they made her feel this way. Seeing her blush just thinking about whatever had happened, it made him angry. He felt his cheeks flush with a jealousy so atypical for him. He wanted to be able to put her in such a state- make her nervous enough to stumble over her words.

She waddled around the store, bending to sniff the various flowers. _Just like she used to,_ thought Iori. _She reminds me so much of Lenny…_

"My gosh, I've never seen so many flowers! I don't even know the names of some of these!" She said breaking Iori's train of thought. Since she had entered, he had only watched, as Ema dipped her nose to inhale each flowers' unique scent.

 _She's not Lenny… Lenny was so knowledgeable about flowers,_ he reminded himself. ... _Then why am I drawn towards her? I always wanted to be understood- I always wanted to share my life with someone that could speak and understand the language of flowers. Ema can't, and yet… Her simplicity. Her childish innocence. It's alluring. I don't want to see her hurt. By anyone. And I don't want her to leave me… For anyone._

 _Losing another person… I don't think I could handle that..._

He hadn't even realized it but his legs had carried him to stand behind her as she stood, stroking the petal of a white orchid that sat on one of the makeshift shelves beside his workbench.

She froze at the touch of him embracing her, his toned abdomen pressing into her back, his strong arms wrapped around her front. He exhaled into the back of her head and she shivered as she felt his breath warm her skin.

His voice, barely audible, shook as he spoke, "Please don't leave me…" _I sound so childish,_ he thought... _but I don't want to be abandoned again._ "I was so scared when I heard you were in the hospital…" That almost brought tears to his eyes. "I'm so selfish-Because I wasn't worried about what impact this accident could have on you- but worried because I was scared… you'd leave me." He drew in another breath and continued. "That you'd leave, and never look back."

"I-I'm not going anywhere," she managed to say fighting the inevitable blush. _He's so close to me… He's so gentle. And his arms feel so safe._ She shifted so that she faced him. _He's so innocent, like an afraid child._ "It's o-okay, see?" she said, reaching to brush his bangs out of his coffee colored eyes. _I sound like a mom comforting a child,_ she thought. Stopping her hand for a moment, she was distracted by another thought. _He's a grown man though- older than me- a college student- what am I doing…?_

His large hand grasped hers, and brought on the full blush she tried to hide. His calloused fingertips brushed against the back of her hand as he brought it to his face. He lowered his head so that his hair fell in front of the hand he held. She felt an exhale of heavy air against her skin as he lay his soft lips onto her hand in one elegant motion.

He looked down at her with his soft eyes. "Please don't treat me like a child," he said. He couldn't help but let a small grin grace his face- she was so kind- so understanding. _She washes away the darkness. The loneliness. She makes me feel like she's the one I've been waiting for-that Lenny left me so that_ _ **she'd**_ _be here today. So that I'd meet_ _ **her**_ …

He smiled fully now as he saw the reaction he'd been so jealous of his brothers for being able to evoke, present on her face- and because of something he'd done. A mist of pink dusted her cheeks, and a savory surprised look rustled in her deep brown eyes.

 _I've been waiting for you… This is where my sorrow ends…_

 **That's it for this chapter! Thank you for reading, and as usual, I greatly appreciate any feedback, comments, reviews, suggestions, and anything else (Next chapter I will add more Fuuto)! And thank you for all of your support and encouragement up until now! I'll be back next weekend if not sooner with the next chapter! -skw**


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The way Iori held her in his arms… The warmth of his tough hand… It felt safe. It made her want to confess to him everything that had happened. She wanted to explain what had delayed her in getting to his flower shop. But…

 _There's so much conflict_. _All of these people- my "brothers"- they're all approaching me with these feelings._ She knew she should feel loved by everyone, but as the days passed, the more she felt like she was being toyed with. _They can't possibly all feel like this… This can't be real… If only.. If only I could remember… Remember who I was before my accident… Who_ _ **they**_ _were before..._ The thought triggered her memory of that afternoon, and her eyes began to water as she fought the tears.

She gently pushed him away from her. "Please… Don't try to get close to me… My mind doesn't remember you…Doesn't remember me, either... I can't find where I belong." _It's so... hopeless. This situation- Me- All of it- leads to endless questions, and no answers..._

She began crying in his arms and had pushed him away. Iori felt his heart sink as he saw the hurt wash across her pure complexion.

She was surprised by his unwavering warm touch again on her skin. His rolling voice as smooth as velvet broke her sobs, "I want to be here for you… You can trust me. But I can only help you if I know what happened… It hurts me a lot- I mean, to see you like this." She stopped fighting his embrace, as he brushed her bangs out of her face and curled them around her ear. "Please... I'm on your side. I won't get mad- promise," he encouraged, trying to catch her gaze.

She kept dodging his eyes. She knew she should tell him. She owed him that much. Giving into his gaze, she met his butterscotch eyes. A sincere look of concern furrowed his eyebrows and a worried fall of his mouth flashed across his face.

It was only for a moment that she had caught the mysterious look on his face. It made her heart skip a beat. How strange that he made her feel like that. His disheveled hair, caring eyes, and warm soul… It was his boyish look that made him appear so… _attractive._

He wore a face that she had a hard time saying 'no' to.

She took a deep breath.

"Okay… I'll tell you everything."

That morning…

 _First things first- I've got to apologize to Akio._

She found him in the courtyard, sitting alone on one of the weathered, wooden benches.

He could sense eyes watching him from behind. And he knew it was her. Without looking at her he spoke, "Listen, I'm sorry… I made you cry, and I'm sorry."

"No, I am!" She blurted without thinking. _I really am sorry._ There was no other way to say it- she knew she was wrong.

He turned his head over his shoulder to look at her, his grounded hazel eyes penetrating hers. "You have no need to be." His eyes smiled, but in a way that seemed to bury an underlying hurt. "You're right. You have a right to be angry with me. But… I'll tell you everything I can now, okay?... Everything I should have been honest with you about from the beginning." His broad shoulders arced forwards making the regret he held clear in his physical appearance.

She hesitantly took a seat beside him.

…

"When you were adopted by the Hinata family, I was eight years old. You had just turned three. Mother was still alive then- my biological mother- Rintarou's first wife- she was still here. Both Mother- her name was Mikoto- and Rintarou wanted a daughter." He sighed, correcting himself, "Not to say they didn't want me; they loved me of course, but they wanted me to grow up with a sibling. They wanted me to be a brother; to have someone to look after- to care for."

"So who am I? Why didn't Father and your mother have another child?"

"It was all very… coincidental… Rintarou and Mother had planned on having another child… But that was before the accident… You're the child of Mother's best friend, Mello… 'Aunt Mello,' is what I called her. Melanie Aizawa. She had survived a great tragedy while carrying her child- you. A car accident. Her husband was with her that night. She woke up the following morning in the hospital, and as a widow..." Akio hesitated internally grimacing at what he was to say next. _This is so much harder to say than I ever imagined… What will she think? Will she believe me when I tell her that she's… loved?_

"So it is true? She gave me up?! Gave me up because I looked too much like him? Reminded her of who she'd lost?"

She'd hit the nail on the head. He nodded, it was almost unbearably painful to say she was right. He forced words out, choking on the scratchy texture of his dry throat, "As you grew up, your eyes took on the same shade as his, your hair the same color as well. With each passing year, Aunt Mello became all the more unfit to take care of you… You have to know, Mother wanted the best life for you… And so did I. That's why I promised her..."

She sat at the edge of the bench, close to tears, but she knew she needed to know. _Just who am I? Who am I to this family? To you?_ _What could possibly be so important that you'd keep it hidden from me for so many years?_

Akio shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. _She has to now...That promise to Mother has been the only constant in my life…_ "It's the only promise I've been able to keep."

His eyes shimmered, reflecting the trees' shaded leaf pattern into his earthy colored irises. "I gave Mother my word... I would protect you… Care for you... Until the very end. For the eternity of my limited time…" He swallowed. _The next words will change how she sees me forever…_ " I'll love you, and I'll let nothing come between us."

She looked startled. Panicked by his... confession? But was it even that? He paused combing a hand through his hair, and let out a scoff. "It turns out, that that promise is both a curse and a blessing." He mumbled under his breath.

 _What did he mean 'eternity of his limited time?' What kind of paradoxical phrase was that? But the way he laughed and shrugged it off… He thinks it's something I could never understand. But I want to… I want him to treat me like an adult, not some weak little girl he's bound to by the guilt of his past!_

"Please Akio! I need to know! I want to underst-"

His face was suddenly so close. His eyes aglow beneath a feathery shadow of charcoal hair. _So unfamiliar, so… princely?_

A warmth on her face… On her lips. A gentle breath against her own. A tender hand beneath her chin, angling her face to meet his.

"I've always been here for you." His eyes were illuminated by a warmth so unfamiliar to his usually cold heart. "For as long as my being lasts, I'll be here beside you."

His words made her heart dance. He was so sincere. So passionate. He wasn't her brother- had never been. This relationship- _No, he's not a prince to me_ \- _he's a knight- a protector- our connection feels like that of master and familiar_. It was enough to send a shiver up her spine, and send a flush of red to her cheeks. _Who is he?_

He drew away from her quickly, _What have I done? I've said too much. All of that- it should have never been said aloud. The way I acted- how could I?...What disgustingly, illogical creature have I become? I swore to protect her- but I just sold my soul to the human emotions of spite, fear, lust and love that have held me captive all these years. She'll leave me behind, like the only person I ever treasured- Mother… I blew it…_

"I'm going." Akio stood up abruptly, letting the cold wash in the space between them. She wanted to reach for his arm and pull him back towards her. But it was too late, his back was already faced away from her.

He grasped his face in the palm of his hand. He could sense an unusual heat in his cheeks and… _that's the last thing she needs to see…_

 _Juli. Is. Going. To. Kill. Me,_ he thought as his legs carried him back towards the mansion.

/\\\/\\\

Fuuto stood behind the large oak tree that stood in the courtyard. He held his breath as the broad shouldered skateboarder passed by, hoping he wouldn't notice him.

Their voices had woken him up from the nap he was taking in the comforting shade of the tree.

He had heard everything, and he'd even glimpsed it for a split second- the raven haired man's face pressed against hers- he had chanced a peek from around the trunk, and that was something he definitely wished he hadn't seen. What made it even worse was that when Akio distanced himself from her shortly after the kiss, he had caught the movement of her arm- reaching to pull him back… As if she had wanted that all along. But she hesitated, and lowered her hand as he strode away.

It was infuriating. _That jerk. That arrogant jerk. She's mine. No one is allowed to take her from me._

\\\/\\\/\\\

As soon as Akio left, a beige haired boy emerged seemingly out of nowhere. She quickly tried to brush the tears that dotted her eyelashes. _He… He looks like that popstar from tv…_

"It's me… Fuuto." He said, remembering that she had suffered from memory loss between the present and the last time he had seen her. The lean teenager took a seat beside her on the bench where Akio sat not too long ago..

Fuuto's brown eyes gleamed in the mid afternoon sunlight as he continued. "I saw everything~" he said teasingly. "Heard everything too~" he added. "You know, I knew Akio was hiding something… Pretending to be someone he wasn't. I could sense it." _There's not much you can hide from someone that_ _ **acts**_ _for a livelihood. I know a pretender when I see one._

She sniffled, "Y-You're wrong!"

He let out a airy laugh full of scorn, "You know I'm not. Who are you kidding?! The sooner you admit he isn't the goody goody he's been acting like this entire time, the closer you'll get to the truth."

"N-no! Akio h-he's not, he would nev-"

"He just did!" he blurted over her. "And that's why I came here."

A puzzled look blurred across her face, and a twitch spiraled through her left eyebrow. "You came here to tell me to not trust the one person I've spent all of my life around? To disregard him?" she said irritated. "You don't understand how hard that must've been for him… To tell me… What he'd been keeping to himself all this time- to protect me… He cares…"

The pink that blossomed on her cheeks. He wished he could wipe the rosy color away. "I'm telling you to question the way he acts, because I think that that closeness is what blinds you from seeing who he truly is!" he paused. "But you knew that already… I'm just reminding you… My sole reason for coming here was…"

In a flash he was hovering above her, pushing her wrists into the backrest of the bench. Her dark brown eyes widened, and he grinned, happy that he was making her nervous. "...I came to undo what _he_ did."

Her lips tasted delicate, just as he had imagined. His tongue glossed past her teeth and he felt her go still, as the shock washed over her.

"Enough! Fuuto! Get away from her." Azusa pulled him off of her. The professionally dressed man fumed as he planted himself between Fuuto and his beloved.

Fuuto sneered, "Stay out of my business."

"She is my business." Azusa snapped.

Fuuto scoffed, _I've never seen Azusa get mad over… Anything… He's serious._ A grin crept across his face. _It's over for now,_ he thought.

"Whatever." The arrogant popstar stalked off.

"Are you okay?" Azusa asked offering Ema a hand.

She tripped and stumbled over her words, and ended up saying nothing but, "I've… I-I've got to go… Thank you-for stopping him." And she was gone faster than he could try and stop her.

Back to the present…

"I-I just don't know." She sniffled trying to reign back her tears. "I don't want to believe Fuuto… Akio… He does his best… He wouldn't hurt me on purpose... He's... A good person."

Iori pulled her in closer to his chest so that he could feel her sorrowful tears as they soaked through his shirt. He wanted to comfort her. Wanted to say that everything would be alright- that he'd make sure everything would be alright… But a part of him couldn't help but be… Jealous. He could never say it aloud, but he was jealous of the time his brothers had around her. Jealous that they were able to lose themselves just long enough to act irrationally and steal her lips. And he was fighting it. Fighting the jealousy. Fighting the envy. Tooth and nail. _I'm sensible. I respect her. I won't force anything on her… Because I love her._ If only thinking that would cure him of the desire that afflicted him. _I'll be patient. I'll wait for her to accept me. As. Long. As. It. Takes._

 **That's it for this chapter, hoped you enjoyed reading! I'm curious to know- who do you ship Ema with at this point? (I haven't featured all the brothers yet, still have Yusuke and the twins to write... Not all the ships have sailed (haha)) But so far, what's your favorite pairing? Please let me know! And just like always please leave any feedback, suggestions and reviews!**

 **Also, my exams are pretty much over for now so future chapter postings will be back on schedule- once every weekend! Thanks for your patience -skw**


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"Why…? Why did he leave...?" she sobbed into the pillow on his bed, inhaling the scent of his hair that still remained on his pillow. It was an old, yet refreshing smell that, when she closed her eyes, could bring him beside her for a few short moments- _his hazel eyes reflecting the leafy pattern of the oak branches overhead; the sorrowful smile that drew across his face; his charcoal hair casting a mysterious shadow across his cheekbones…_ And when she opened her eyes, he was gone. The bench that they had sat on- gone. The oak tree- gone. This was reality- she was where she had been when she had begun reminiscing the Akio she had met yesterday- sitting alone in his room, and holding the pillow that smelled of his hair tightly to her chest.

That morning, Ema found Akio's room empty and his luggage gone. All that remained as proof he ever existed was his calculus textbook that rested on his desk and the few leafs of paper that stuck out of it. It seemed he had left in a rush and forgotten it there. His suitcase, his skateboard, his clothes- all of it: gone.

 _I have so many questions that I need to ask him. Why did he have to leave so suddenly? There are still a couple of weeks before his Summer break ends…_

 _It must've been because of me.. That must've been it, I must've troubled him too much. I'm a burden… How I burdened my own mother, I'm burdening him._

 _Juli doesn't want to tell me either. He says he doesn't know where or why Akio left so suddenly, but… I think Juli's lying… I know he's only doing it to protect me… But it still hurts; a lot._

She compressed the pillow against her chest. Why did her heart ache so much? Before anything else, Akio was a brother, but why now…? Why did he feel like a stranger? An elusive shadow in the night, that had faded just before dawn? He was a protector that had always come at the call of her voice, her troubles; always- so why- _why did you leave me? Is it really because I caused you so much trouble?_

 _He's always come, whenever I've needed him._

"Please…" she sniffled. "Please come back…" _I can't help but act so childish..._

The creak of the door to his room startled her- _It worked? He came back?!_

 _/\\\/\\\_

 _Akio never leaves his door open,_ Louis thought as he gave the wooden bedroom door a shove.

His eyes immediately locked onto hers. The beautiful brunette girl sat cross legged on his bed holding his pillow tight to her chest. For a split second he saw hope glint in her irises, as if she were truly happy to see him. In the following second she quickly broke their eye contact, pressing her lips together to seal away her surprise in a smile smeared with disappointment.

 _Of course not. What a foolish idea. Of course he wouldn't come back just because I wished it._ She could feel the burn of salty tears as they begged to be released. She tried to shake them away.

Louis' voice startled her as he neared, much closer than she had anticipated. "What's wrong?" his deep voice carried with clarity in the empty room, sending goosebumps up her arms.

An electric shock twisted through her veins as his hand shuffled through her hair, and she flinched. The brothers had always been so close, but their closeness now that _he_ was gone… _It feels so much more intimidating… Dangerous… He won't come back if I'm in danger…_

He raised his eyebrows, anticipating her response, and she quickly shook her head. "I-It's nothing."

Louis' heart felt like it was going to disintegrate- disappear into thin air. He knew something was wrong, and she didn't trust him enough to tell him. He was broken that she was here in Akio's room. Hurt that her eyes gathered tears because Akio was gone.

 _What a selfish thought... Why is it that I would want her to cry like this for me? I'd want her to be sad if I left…_ He gave a slight shake of his head as if that could make it go away, and plastered on the kind smile he had grown accustomed to.

She could feel the bed shift under his weight as he sat beside her. Louis' gentle hand ran through her hair again, but she refused to look him in the eye. She couldn't let him know of Akio's secret- and even if she could confide in him, she was sure that what Akio had told her was only a fraction of the whole truth. _There's nothing I can say. It's useless… If I tell anyone what Akio told me about my true birth and origins, it will only make them worry about me._

She quickly turned her face towards his, startling him. "Please don't worry about me! I'm fine."

 _She's wearing the same smile I do. It's fake._ He internally scolded himself as he instinctively plastered his best "comforting smile" on his face. He caught a glistening flash on her face. _Tears…?... Idiot. You're hurting so badly, and yet you don't want to confide in anyone… Faking that smile… It makes me hurt even more…_

With a gentle brush of his thumb, he swept beneath her eyelid, stroking her tears away. "Don't do that." His voice carried through the comforting silence. Her eyes widened as the electricity beneath his fingertips traveled up and down her face. It was so… Distracting.

"What…? Don't do what?"

"Smile like that. Don't. If that's not how you truly feel, then don't." His long arms wrapped around her, and she could feel his warmth radiating through his thin shirt.

"I… Can't," she said trying to supress the tears. "I can't let anyone see my face like this… It makes everyone worry…" She turned so that her long hair curtained her face.

He squeezed her tighter, "It's okay. I'll hide you." His hand found the back of her head and brought it to rest against his collarbone. "Don't ever say that you're a burden… You will never be a burden to me." He could feel her cold tears seeping through his shirt.

"I don't want to be a burden. Not anymore… Akio; he's gone because of me..." she said attempting to cover the shakiness of her voice and keep from sobbing.

 _So this_ _ **is**_ _about him…_ His smile faltered for a second, but he quickly regained it. _You don't have to like me now, because I'll be waiting here for you. As long as it takes for you to realize that I've been here all along. No matter what, I'll protect you. It doesn't matter who you're looking at, so long as I can be beside you, I can be okay with that for now… Because I won't give up until you say it yourself- that you love someone else..._

 _/\\\/\\\_

Ktak-Ktak-Ktak… The train's rhythm ingrained itself into his synchronized breaths.

Akio sat, pressing his face against the cool glass of the window as he watched the country landscape flash beside him. The speed of the shinkansen wasn't half as fast as he wanted to travel. He wanted to get away as fast and as far as he could get from her.

 _I'll end up hurting her. Like all of those brothers I disdain. I've become one of them… How can she count on me to protect her if- if I'm just as bad as the rest of them? I swore to be her protector- her knight, for as long as I was able, but how am I supposed to do that when I've become my own enemy?_

 _I'd hurt her more if I stayed beside her like this._

He brushed a hand through his hair, frustrated. _I want to be beside her, but… I'd end up hurting her. I lost control of my emotions that time… I can't let that happen again… There would be no telling how many more secrets I'll let slip when she's near me. I lose control… I lose my logic- my reasoning… When I'm close to her._

He leaned back in his seat and idly balanced his skateboard on one end and tipped it back and forth. Ktak- it would hit his left leg...Ktak- it would hit his right leg… Ktak-

 _I don't know where I'm going. I don't know when I'll go back. But I know that when this train turns around and makes its way back towards the city, I will resolve my feelings. And I won't ever look back._

He busied himself counting the triangle patterns on the thin carpet beneath him. After that, he looked towards the ceiling and counted the panels. With each station he ignored the robotic voices of the shinkansen that announced the station name in Japanese and English. "Arriving at…" and then a few moments later, "Departing…" He watched students board, businessmen leave, students leave, and businessmen board...

The sun had lowered considerably in the sky and a deep crimson dusk radiated across the horizon. It had been a couple of hours since the train turned around, and he became more and more anxious as he became aware that he hadn't solidified his emotions- hadn't grounded himself to the reasoning he'd always bound himself to.

"Arriving at…" He didn't need to know where he was. But he needed more time. He still felt conflicted. _It's too soon to go back… I haven't been able to make myself promise that I wouldn't be like them- that I wouldn't put her in more danger..._

When the shinkansen stopped at the next station, his legs moved before he could tell them otherwise, his arms grabbed his luggage and he was halfway out of the train when a firm hand gripped his arm and pulled him back in. Startled he whipped around to face the stranger… "H-hey, this is my stop, I need to get-" The lie spilled out of his mouth scarily natural, and he himself was taken aback.

"You're so much lighter than you look, I thought it would take more than a tug to get you back in," the tall blonde man said, his eyes smiling. "And besides…Who do you think you're fooling? This isn't our stop."

"Kaname?! What?... What are you doing here?"

"Departing…" The robotic voice continued...

 **Thanks so much for reading! I'll be back next weekend with another chapter! -skw (^-^)**


	12. Chapter 11

**Good gravy! I haven't written an update in ages! I am so sorry for writing so terribly off schedule- if you've stuck with me this far, you have my most sincere thanks for bearing with me. I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

Chapter 11

"Hey! Princeeessss! Look, look! I brought home a gift for you!" cooed Kaname.

Akio wanted nothing more than to smack his step brother upside the head. He felt like a wet cat in a headlock- everything sopping wet, and no help from anyone.

"A-ah-Akio?" Her warm eyes flared with worry. In that particular moment Akio could only see how hurt she was when she worried. Her hair was slightly messier than usual, and she was wearing a baggy sweatshirt that seemed to swallow her petite body in a dozen layers of folded fleece. Kaname took a step closer toward Ema in a way that was both gentle and confident. Akio's breath got caught in his throat. There was something about the sureness of his brother's movement- a fluidity in his motion as he strode toward his love- that made him… jealous-furious at the irrationality of it all.

Kaname swept his thumb beneath the soft skin of Ema's eyelid, "Ahh, no need for tears," he said gently, "I don't go back on promises. I did say I'd find him, after all."

"Hey- that's enough," Akio sputtered.

Kaname held Ema from behind now, his arms wrapped across her torso, as he turned to face his younger brother. It was a scene Akio didn't want to see. He didn't have to look to know her cheeks were flushed a sweet pink color at the embrace of the monk.

"Look, you have no right to say that," Kaname said spitefully. "She's been worried for you. You worried her. And what? You don't even apologize? Have you really nothing to say after leaving so suddenly? How do you think she feels, huh?" Kaname's golden irises flamed.

"I left because I had to!" Akio blurted. "There's nothing left for me here. No one left for me to return to-"

"D-Don't say that." Ema said, avoiding the eyes of her brother.

"No." Akio said, attempting to catch her eye. "You don't need me here anymore… I can't bear it any longer. I can't bear to see you with other guys. And when you don't reject or accept any one of us… I… I just can't protect you any longer unless you choose me. It's the only way I'd know you aren't afraid of me hurting you… And reassure me, of the impossibility of me hurting you. I need to know that my rightful place is beside you, guarding the only heart I treasure."

 _I said it. I've done it._ He turned away from her and his older brother whose arms still wrapped warmly around his beloved. "Goodbye, Ema." He lowered his eyes, as he walked heavily out of the door.

Kaname could feel the warm droplets of tears as they fell on his forearms. She wriggled a little and all at once burst out of his arms. He wanted to stop her- wanted to pull her back into his arms- into the nook of his chest where she fit perfectly.

Akio almost fell face first onto the pavement upon the impact of her grasping him in her thin arms around the waist. "P-please don't go." He looked at the trembling limbs wrapped around his middle. The rain was coming down terribly heavy. She shivered, quaking like a fragile leaf in a windstorm.

"Please, just go back to the house, Ema." He said coldly. If he didn't act cold, he was sure he'd cry.

"Akio, please. D-don't go. I'll miss you. I'll miss you _too_ much." She sobbed into his back.

He turned to pat the top of her head. "No such thing. You couldn't ever miss me _too_ much. I promise that I'll never be too far… So please believe me when I say that I would not abandon you."

"B-but I love you Akio!"

He smiled gently, "Don't say things you don't mean," he said running his fingers through her hair. "You'll understand one day why I'm leaving now. But for now, all I can say is that I can't share a household with men whom I consider my enemies… My secrets, are best kept that way."

"Promise then!" Ema broke, "That you'll come back for me… When I'm adequate for your secrets… Come back…"

"You misunderstand- it's me who is inadequate for the honor of your company… Ah, forget I said anything," Akio mumbled under his breath.

"Promise me!" Ema pleaded again.

"You have my word that I'll be back. If they hurt you, I'll be back faster than you can call my name, and if any steal the loyalty I only know myself to have, you can be sure I'll return even sooner." Akio finished.

Her grip tightened around his waist, as she cherished holding him in her arms, breathing in his scent so as not to forget it… "I'll be back, promise." He said. She could feel his warm hand on her forehead, as he tilted it to an angle that allowed him to press his lips against the crown of her head. He grasped hold of one of her hands and lay a kiss on her fingers.

"I'll be around," he said turning to leave, "so, wait for me, okay?" He didn't wait for a response. It already greatly pained him that he was leaving her on good terms. It would have been so much easier if she could have been furious with him- held anger or resentment towards him-but she had forgiven him so easily, and to leave now was harder than ever. The more he dwelt in her company the more conflicted he felt. _I want to be a proper love for her. I will be someone entirely different than those brothers. I will win my love over on her own terms._ He smiled a bittersweet smile at the idea of the reunion that was destined to be in some future. _I will find my resolve. I will come to terms with my secrets- that must happen._

She watched his back as he strode towards the station. Until he was a speck in the distance. Until she could see him no longer. _Goodbye for now Akio._

 **Thank you so much for reading! (^-^) I am hoping to get back on schedule with weekend updates starting next week. Please feel free to leave comments and suggestions; as always, they are greatly appreciated! Again, my utmost apologies for this extremely late update! -skw**


	13. Chapter 12

**The last chapter of this series! I know it's kinda coming without any warning, so I apologize for that. That being said, I still hope you enjoy reading it!**

Chapter 12

2 years later-

 _Today it's been 2 years since Akio left. I'm tired of waiting. I don't know if he'll ever return…_

"Ema?" a warm, youthful voice called.

"Hm?"

"Why are you out here all by yourself?" The beige haired middle schooler grasped the young woman's hand.

"The wind feels nice out here, Wataru."

"But it's nearly dark! You'll catch a cold and not only that, but Masaomi would be upset!" The young boy said hurriedly, tugging at the hand in his own.

"What's the ruckus about Wataru?" Masaomi said coming out onto the balcony.

"Ema won't come in!"

"Okay, Wataru you can go in, I'll stay out here and make sure she doesn't catch a cold."

"Ahh! No fair Masaomi, just 'cause you're older doesn't mean you get more time with Ema!" he pouted as he walked towards the sliding door.

/\\\/\\\

It seemed that as soon as Wataru entered the house, he came back out squealing with excitement, "Whhhheeeeeeeee! Higher, higher Kaname!" The monk carried the boy over his head, making him "fly" around the overlooking balcony.

"I heard my little bird was looking gloomy." Kaname said charmingly. His golden irises reflected the last flickers of the sunset and had caught Ema's attention for a second.

/\\\/\\\

"My little sister? Sad? Nothing a hug from her favorite brother couldn't solve, right?" Tsubaki swung his long arms around Ema's front, pulling her tight to his chest. "See, better? Right?" His smile matched the tint of his hair and the princely aura surrounding him was enough to make any girl's heart skip a beat.

"Knock it off, idiot." His black haired counterpart struck him in the head with a thick script bound in a green cover.

Startled, Tsubaki released Ema. "Are you okay?" Azusa asked gently. His violet eyes enveloped in concern reflected his sincerity as he grasped her thin fingers in his much larger hand.

/\\\/\\\

"Two voice actors? Or the guy with looks and a voice?" Fuuto said, shoving Azusa towards the rejected Tsubaki, "Which would you rather have, my love?"

"More like neither," Yusuke interrupted, yanking Ema's arm out of the popstar's grasp.

"What would you know, you hot head?"

"Certainly more than you, you dumb-"

"You're no one to call dumb you-"

/\\\/\\\

"A flower milady," calm eyes met her own earthy eyes, "for you."

In all the commotion, Ema ended up in Iori's arms. He tucked a rose in one of the waves flowing behind her ear.

"Cheer up, won't you? A lovely flower to match a lovely young woman…" He breathed gently.

/\\\/\\\

"Oh very poetic Iori," clapped Hikaru. A fiery rage had begun to bore into his chest seeing all of his brothers so close to her. "I'll have to include such a detail in my latest writing."

He drew Ema out of his brother's hold, "Of course it doesn't have to _only_ be writing, so long it's me you're with."

/\\\/\\\

"A snake shows his true colors always," Ukyo said swiping his glasses back up the bridge of his nose, "even the most self controlled snake can be broken." A sly smile trekked across the lawyers face, "It seems you have the attention of many- so who will it be?"

/\\\/\\\

"W-Would you guys just leave her alone?"

"Subaru? When did you get back from college?" Hikaru asked.

He ignored the question, "Can't you see that you're all scaring her?" He surrounded her in the warmth of his arms, and she buried her face deep in the basketball player's sweatshirt.

/\\\/\\\

"You're all incapable of keeping Chii safe," Louis broke in. Juli rode on the man's shoulder, chattering in agreement. "She's safest without all of you fighting over her. Let her speak for herself."

Subaru released the trembling girl from his grasp.

"I-I miss-" Ema stumbled on her words.

A familiar voice called out from behind the group.

/\\\/\\\

"I've missed you." 

**What do you guys think? I may or may not write another BroCon fanfic sequel to this depending on whether or not you all want to hear more about Akio, Ema, and the brothers. If so, cool! If not I think I'll write a fanfic for another manga/anime/videogame! I'd like to hear your opinions, suggestions, or comments! Thank you SO SO much for reading up until now, and bearing with me to this semi-(maybe)-end that I've come to! -skw (^-^)**


End file.
